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	Settlement in Father Poole Abuse Case Could Be Largest Ever By Megan Baldino KTUU [Alaska] February 28, 2005 Anchorage, Alaska - It looks as though a settlement with the Catholic Church may be reached in a deal that could be the largest in Alaska. Monday, the attorney for a woman who says she was abused as a child by a popular Nome priest says he is close to an agreement. There is word of a possible settlement in the $1 million range, and on Monday, for the first time, "Jane Doe" released her name. Elsie Boudreau says going public is part of her effort to heal. In the lawsuit, Boudreau claims Father Jim Poole fondled and French-kissed her many times when she was 10 to 16 years old, with the abuse taking place mainly in Nome. It was Poole who started KNOM, the Catholic radio station there, and he was known as "the radio priest." Lawyers for Poole filed a protective order a while ago in the case to prevent his deposition from being released. Boudreau's attorney, Ken Roosa, wants the written account released because he claims Poole’s deposition includes an admission that he abused a young woman. Poole's attorney, Timothy Lynch, has contested those claims. Roosa said the settlement could be reached by the end of the week. Once that happens, he said, Boudreau can in a sense move on. "It represents an end to a long and very difficult battle for Elsie, a battle with her conscience over whether she should ever have made the claims against the church in the first place, a battle to find a voice, and to feel that she was not at fault, that she was just a child," Roosa said. Jim Gorski, an attorney for the Society of Jesus - Oregon Province, confirmed Roosa's information, saying a settlement is near. Lynch declined to comment. Roosa said the Jesuits and the Catholic Diocese in Fairbanks will both contribute. A second woman already settled a $300,000 case against Father Poole, while a third woman is still in litigation. Boudreau had earlier consented to an interview but she later decided not to, saying, "it’s been a difficult day." She said the reason she is releasing her name is so she can move on and continue to heal. One thing she has requested as part of the settlement is that a statue for abuse victims be built in St. Mary's near the Andreafsky River. Roosa said Boudreau wants the Catholic Diocese to pay for the land and the statue.
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